This photograph of Soccer City, the venue for the opening and closing games of the 2010 World Cup in Johannesburg by the young Johannesburg photographer Sabelo Mlangeni, is included in the ambitious exhibit: “Afropolis. City, Media, Art: Urbanization Africa, now showing through March 11 at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne, Germany. The exhibit focuses on Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Kinshasa, and of course Johannesburg. Mlangeni’s contribution is entitled “Untitled – The Year 2010,” and consists of a series of photographs  created in June/July 2010 for Afropolis. According to the museum PR it “… captures moments beyond and after the turmoil and excitement of the World Cup.” More information here.

Further Reading

Sovereignty beyond the nation

A new history of the interwar Latin American left recovers the rich debates over race and self-determination that shaped the region’s anti-imperial politics—and still resonate today.

Fields of dependency

As the US-Israel war on Iran disrupts fertilizer supply, Africa’s reliance on imported inputs exposes the deeper political economy driving food insecurity.

Whose progress?

A new documentary reveals how Ethiopia’s manufacturing push redistributes land, labor, and opportunity—delivering gains for some while displacing others.